Marley Stephens -- aka Supergirl
by moonshoespotter310
Summary: Marley Stephens is just an ordinary 16-year-old girl - until she finds out that superheroes are real and she was picked by the late Kara Zor-El to be the new Supergirl. With the help of Superman and her new friend/mentor Nightwing, Marley figures out the ropes of being an alien superhero. Okay, so I know this is a weird concept. If you like it, great! If you don't, sorry. :)
1. Chapter 1

MARLEY

Marley was sitting at her desk, doodling the Superman symbol over and over on her notebook. She didn't know why, she'd never really been a big fan of his, she was more of a Batman kind of girl. Her Pre-Calc teacher was droning on about sine and cosine, but she – and most of the class – wasn't paying attention. Then she felt something hit her head and and looked from behind her long curtain of hair. A boy, Andy Poulson, had thrown a piece of paper at her. _What?_ she mouthed, annoyed.

_Whatcha drawing? _he mouthed back, with a wink. He'd been hitting on her for years, but she liked to keep to herself. Plus, the guy was a total douche.

She said, _None of your business_, and pointedly turned away from him. God, he was annoying. She wished anything – anything at all would interrupt this totally boring Tuesday.

In about a minute, she'd regret those thoughts.

The ground shook beneath the classroom, as if there had been an explosion on the first floor of the school. Terrified screams echoed up through the halls, and then Principal Adam's voice came on the intercom, "Everyone please return to your classrooms and follow procedure. There are two armed intruders inside the school. We are now under lock down."

In a daze, Marley followed her peers into the corner of the room, ending up next to Andy, while Mr. Greene locked the door. "If you're scared, you can hold my hand," Andy whispered to her, though he looked more scared than her.

"I'll pass," she hissed back. The noises were getting closer to them – explosions, glass shattering. Then, she heard voices just outside the door.

"Harley, check that classroom, I'll check this one."

"Okey dokey, puddin'."

The voices made her think of something, but she shook it out of her head – that wasn't possible.

The door started to jiggle, and the whole class held their breath. When it stopped, Marley almost sighed in relief. But then, there was a gunshot, and the door was thrown open. When Marley saw the woman, she didn't know if she should laugh or cry. Her face might've been pretty, but she had white makeup covering it, and a mask on. She was dressed in red and black – a skin tight outfit with a head piece that made her look like a harlequin. And then it dawned on her – the horrible realization from reading her Batman comics. She was supposed to be Harley Quinn – the Joker's "girlfriend". So the guy outside...

"So," the woman said in that high voice with a perfect Harley Quinn accent. "I'm looking for a Marley Stephens. Hey – Marley! That rhymes with Harley! Hehe! Anywho, you guys seen her?"

Marley felt all the eyes of her classmates boring into her. Andy, who looked as pale as a ghost, shoved Marley at the woman's feet. "That's her!"

Harley grinned. "Aww, thanks sweetie. You saved us a lot more searchin'. Hey, Mistah J! I got her!"

The woman grabbed Marley by the hair as maniacal laughter filled the hallways. Then the Joker stepped into the room, suit and all. His grin was so big, Marley swore her head could fit in his mouth. Her blood turned to ice as he stepped towards her and looked her up and down. Then he looked at Harley. "So, who do you think was right? Superman or Batman?"

Harley shrugged. "I'm not sure. She looks a little weak to be a Super, though."

Joker nodded. "Yes, I can see it. I can also imagine her in a wheelchair fairly easily..." He cackled madly at his own inside joke, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh, if only Batsy were here to watch this."

Harley grinned as Joker pulled something out of a bag – a crowbar. "This is gonna hurt," he whispered to Marley. He swung, and cracked the crowbar against Marley's stomach. Harley let her crumple to the ground, her whole body exploding in agony. Then he slammed it down on her forearm – she didn't like the loud _crunch_ that followed.

"Ooh, ooh! Mistah J!" Harley exclaimed while jumping up and down. "Can I try?"

Joker sighed. "Oh, alright. But make her bleed."

"You got it, puddin'!" Harley took the crowbar from the Joker and whipped it across Marley's body. Then, she swung it down on her head and her face. Marley felt a wound on the top her head begin to flow with blood, and she was briefly aware of her nose and several gashes on her head trickling as well. But what had most of her conscious attention was the beating of her heart in her head, and her vision going gray. Harley got her skull good.

"No, you imbecile! Now she won't even notice the pain with her mind all foggy," Joker snapped.

_Not sure about that,_ Marley thought, the pounding in her head getting excruciating. But she couldn't talk. She couldn't even scream.

The Joker frowned down at her. "This was too easy to be any fun. Oh, well, maybe Batsy will come after me for killing his could-have-been Batgirl." He pointed a gun at her chest, and Marley closed her eyes.

Marley couldn't explain what it felt like to be shot. It was like a white-hot fire streaking through her flesh. But at the same time, it didn't even hurt that much. Probably because her head was so messed up. She'd hoped a shot to her heart would kill her instantly, but maybe it didn't – or maybe the Joker missed, she wasn't sure.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion around her. There were blobs of color clouding her vision and the things Joker and Harley were saying were distorted in her damaged mind. Then, a figure crashed into Joker, throwing him across the room. Did it have... animal ears? Another, smaller figure knocked over Harley Quinn.

Her eyes then focused on a face peering down at her. To her it was the face of an angel. Was she dying? He had dark hair and pool-like blue eyes that were filled to the rim with tears. Even with her cloudy vision, she could tell he was strikingly handsome. He opened his mouth to speak, and Marley willed herself to hear his words correctly.

"Marley? Oh, please, don't be dead yet! I know you're supposed to be my family! My little cousin... oh, please, come back to me!"

Marley tried to look at the symbol on his chest through her blurred vision. "S-Superman?" she whispered feebly. It took all of her energy to mutter the word, and it came out weak and raspy.

"Oh, thank God!" Angel-Superman cried. "Stay with me just a little longer, Marley! Batman! She's still alive! Give me the device!"

But Marley couldn't stay any longer. Her head slumped forward and darkness consumed her.


	2. Chapter 2

NIGHTWING

Nightwing barreled into Harley Quinn, slamming her into the ground. She moved for a jab at his stomach, but he pinned her arms to her sides. "Too easy," he said with a grin.

Harley pouted. "No fair, little bird. You caught me off guard!"

"All's fair in maniacs and war," he said.

"That wasn't funny."

"Shut up."

"Batman!" Nightwing heard Superman shouting and looked over. "She's still alive! Give me the device!"

"No!" Harley sobbed, looking heartbroken, as if a puppy had died. "She's not dead? Oh, Mistah J's gonna be so upset!"

Nightwing punched her in the nose and watched her head slump to the side. He quickly bound her hands and got up, watching as a small electronic device was passed to Superman. He twisted a dial at the top and placed the device in Marley's hand. The girl (well, she was only a year or two younger than him) was unconscious, with blood seeping from just about everywhere. She was pretty, with long blond hair and delicate features. He was afraid she wouldn't make it.

For a moment, nothing happened. Nightwing's blood froze. _What if this wasn't the right girl? _he thought. _What if she's just a normal teenager and she was murdered because we thought she was one of us?_

Then, Marley's body became blindingly bright, and began to transform. Her body became curvy, thin, and basically perfect. Her hair turned more honey-colored and was cropped short. And her face... Nightwing didn't think anyone could be more beautiful. Superman had been right, she was the new Supergirl. (AUTHOR'S NOTE- she looks like the New 52 Supergirl) She was still wearing the same clothes – and she was still bleeding.

"What do we do?" Superman asked, his voice shaking with grief. "She's still going to die!"

"The sun," Batman muttered. "You get your powers from the sun – it could heal her right?"

"Yes!" Superman shouted. He scooped up Marley/Supergirl into his arms. Then he flew up, crashed through the ceiling, and held her beneath the beating sun. Nightwing and Batman climbed on desks and jumped through the whole in the roof. The sun was working its magic – her scratches and gunshot wound were healing. Her broken forearm seemed to snap itself back into place.

Suddenly, she gasped and shot upright in Superman's arms. Her blue eyes were wide and confused as she looked around, taking it all in. "What – what... I was dead," she said in wonder.

"Don't worry, little cousin," Superman said gently. "You're okay now."

"Little cousin?" Supergirl repeated, her eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about? And why is it dress-up-like-your-favorite-comic-book-character-d ay?"

Nightwing grimaced. He'd hated this part when he'd become Nightwing. Not knowing – thinking it was some insane prank. For all Supergirl knew, they were just as insane as Harley and Joker. He stepped forward. "Su–Marley. Listen, we're on your side. Trust me, we'd never hurt you." He gave her his easy-going smile.

Supergirl's eyes softened, and Nightwing could swear she blushed. "Um...okay. But how can I be sure to trust you? I mean, you're all dressed up like fictional characters."

Nightwing went into Batman's belt ("Hey!") and pulled out a batarang. He pointed it towards her, showing her her reflection. She gasped and began touching her face. "I'm...I'm..." she whispered.

"Supergirl," Nightwing finished.

She looked at him in awe. "But..."

"We'll explain everything at headquarters," Batman promised.

Supergirl still looked reluctant, but when Nightwing gave her an encouraging nod, she sighed. "Alright," she agreed. "But I can't be late for dinner."


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to the people who commented, I really appreciate it! And, if anyone else is reading this and likes it, please tell me so I know it's actually mediocre! Haha. And also, if you have anything you think would be cool to happen, feel free to tell me. I love suggestions, and I really have no place that this is going, I'm just winging it! Well, thanks again, here's chapter 3. :)

MARLEY

Superman didn't want to show her her powers yet, so they took the Batmobile to "headquarters". "Headquarters" turned out to be a huge underground building with lots of technology and security. As the four of them walked down dark hallways, Marley looked through windows into rooms with people practicing in them. Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian, Green Arrow and Black Canary, Speedy and Robin. They were so intense, just looking at them had her sweating.

Then, they entered the main room. It was full of computers and maps. A dozen more superheroes were walking around, a couple of them younger sidekicks. In a flash, a boy was suddenly standing in front of her. He was wearing a red and yellow skin tight outfit. He had red hair that showed and a mischievous grin. "Hey there, gorgeous. I'm Kid Flash. What's your name?"

"Beat it KF," Nightwing snapped. It was obvious the two were close friends, but Marley got the feeling he was only half-joking.

He shrugged, and with another flash, he had disappeared. Marley's hand felt weird, and when she looked down at it, there were was a number and written sloppily was "Call me".

"Does he do that a lot?"

Nightwing looked at her. "What – hit on girls or act like an idiot? Never mind, the answer to both is yes. And that's why he's my best friend."

Marley smiled. The next person she met also bombarded her without warning. A girl her age, with shoulder-length blond hair and blue eyes floated up to her and hugged her so hard, if she wasn't now Kryptonian her spine probably would've snapped. "Hi! I'm Wonder Girl. I can tell we're gonna be _such_ good friends!"

"Um...yeah. I'm Marley – er, I mean Supergirl. Apparently." She tried her best to smile, even while gawking at the fact that she was floating in mid-air.

Wonder Girl looked at Nightwing eagerly. "Is she gonna join the team?"

"What team?" Marley wondered.

"Oh, it's like a Teen Titans/Young Justice kind of thing. Us who aren't in the Justice League."

"Oh." She'd watched Teen Titans before, she loved it. "Cool."

"Pleeeeaase Nightwing?" Wonder Girl begged. "I'll help with her training!"

"Actually-"

"That's a great idea!" Superman said. "I wanted to train with Supergirl today, but unfortunately, the League's taking a case. Could you show her how to fly and use her super strength? You're not a Kryptonian, but you have the same powers."

Wonder Girl nodded enthusiasticly. "Of course!"

"Nightwing, go with them. You are going to be Supergirl's mentor," Batman said.

Nightwing nodded and grinned at her, and Marley felt her face get hot. Okay, she'd always had a bit of a crush on Dick Grayson. He was funny, nice, and _hot_. And maybe it was weird to think a comic book character was hot, but looking at him now she could confirm it. He wasn't big and buff like Batman, but lean and strong, with a nice set of abs. His dark hair looked like it was swishing in the wind, even when they were inside. And he had a lopsided grin that melted her heart.

Wonder Girl grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hallway. "Let's start now! Nightwing, are you coming to supervise?"

"Sure thing, WG."

Marley looked back at him. "Do you always initial people's names?"

"You bet, MS."

She laughed. God, he was so cute! Wonder Girl pulled her into a room with a bunch of boulders, random steel doors, and weights. "This is the training room," she said.

Marley looked to her side, and Nightwing had disappeared. "Where did he go? I thought he was _supervising_."

"He is." Wonder Girl pointed to a glass – or maybe plastic? – window on the far side of the room, where Nightwing was looking in. "It might be dangerous, you not knowing your powers and all."

"Oh." Marley still felt weird about the whole _powers_ thing. She just couldn't imagine herself lifting up one of those boulders. She was sure she couldn't even bench press thirty pounds. Though, in her old body (that was creepy to think about), she'd never felt really comfortable. She'd always been clumsy and not at all graceful. In Supergirl's body, she felt completely at ease – like she'd belonged in it all this time.

"So, let's start of with something simple. Lift the one hundred pound weights over your head," Wonder Girl said promptly.

"Um...easy?"

Wonder Girl laughed, and Marley could swear she heard Nightwing, too. "Trust me, you're Supergirl now. You're probably stronger than I am."

Marley took a couple deep breaths as she walked over to the weights. _Okay, this is simple. I'm Supergirl. I can lift one hundred pounds. _She wrapped her hands around the weight's metal handle, and, getting scared, lifted it up with all her strength.

That was the wrong way to do it.

The weight not only went over her head, it smashed through the ceiling and went up several floors. "Oh, my God! I'm so sorry, I-"

Wonder Girl held up her hand. "It's no biggie, it was your first try. I'm sure Batman will figure out a way to fix it. Anyways, can you at least see how strong you are? You didn't need to try to lift that weight up – you could have done it with your pinky." She smiled brightly. "Try again. The two hundred pounder."

"Okay." This time, Marley very lightly picked up the weight with one hand and lifted it over her head with ease. It felt like an empty grocery bag. "Wow."

Wonder Girl then showed her how to pull apart steel doors and smash the large boulders with her hands. It was so fun that after what felt like a second to Marley but had apparently been a half hour, Nightwing came in. "All right, Marley, leave the poor rocks in peace. Besides, I've got something cooler to show you."

Marley didn't think anything could be cooler than super strength, but she waved goodbye to Wonder Girl and followed him. They went back to the main room, and Nightwing punched in a password to a large metal door. It opened, and she gasped. Inside were a dozen superhero outfits. They were all magnificent, each looking exactly like you would see in the comics, but made from the nicest material. There was Batgirl, Auquaman, Captain Marvel, Green Lantern's ring, and so many more. Marley's eyes found one in the corner and her breath caught. Supergirl's outfit.

"Go ahead," Nightwing said. "It's yours."

In front of the costume on the class, was a hand print. She placed her hand inside it – a perfect fit. Some scanner flashed and said, "Recognized: Supergirl." The case opened, and Marley had the outfit in her palms.

Nightwing smiled at her. "Welcome to the team, Supergirl."


End file.
